Related resources for this article

Perhaps the most widely used product refined from petroleum is gasoline. Gasoline is burned in an internal-combustion engine to provide energy to power automobiles, airplanes, and other machinery. In some English-speaking countries, such as the United Kingdom, gasoline is referred to as petrol. Gasoline is a complex mixture containing hundreds of different hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are compounds comprised of the chemical elements hydrogen and carbon. Most of the hydrocarbons in gasoline contain 4 to 12…

It’s here: the NEW Britannica Kids website!

We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements!

The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages.

Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops.

Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards.

A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar.

Want to see it in action?

Start a free trial

E-mail

To

From

Sender NamePlease enter your name.

Sender EmailPlease enter a valid email address.

Translate this page

Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. Britannica does not review the converted text.

After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar.